Stamped this simple image on the stack of thank you notes that we’re sending to deployed servicemen this week.
It used to be really awkward for me to write something to someone I don’t even know especially since the hubby wears uniforms too. What the heck is a married woman doing writing to some anonymous person on deployment?!
The truth is, my hubby isn’t an 18yr old kid who sits on a wall, maybe maintains artillery, or has no one at home to get a letter or a package from. My husband is the brawniest (and arguably the most stoic) man I know – sappy sentimentality isn’t for him.
But the anonymous kid who will be handed this note probably doesn’t have a dedicated and independent wife or mom at home to hold up the fort and dote on him. He/she probably won’t get the kind of care packages (or even letters) like I send to my hubby.
So I write and send the cards. They should know that there are people at home who appreciate and value them. Their service, no matter the role, is not trivial.
And in a small way, the card writing helps me too. I have to keep my head on when my husband puts on his uniform and gears up … whether its here in Chicago or abroad. Even though I put trust in his training, his team, and those who command him, it still helps to make and write these cards.
I figure the gesture of a simple thank you to an anonymous, lonely kid out there will somehow, someway make its way back to my rough and tumble man when he’ll need it.
